In his 2025 inaugural remarks, President Donald Trump emphasized the importance of selecting individuals for positions of influence based on merit, rather than adhering to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Days earlier, during his confirmation hearing as the secretary of defense nominee, Pete Hegseth pledged to review the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) law currently on the books, continuing implementation as long as it fit within the framework of the new administration’s policy priorities. While DEI policies are clearly not in line with the president’s objectives, it is essential to understand not only that WPS and DEI are not the same thing, but also that WPS’s continued implementation should be central to US national security efforts. The WPS framework advances the very principles of meritocracy essential to US national security. Adopting and implementing WPS as a cornerstone of national security increases partner and ally engagement, strengthens US global leadership, improves conflict resolution outcomes, and promotes sustainable peace.

The Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, signed into law by President Trump, has its origin in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. This landmark resolution and the US law that draws on it recognize the importance of including women in peace and security, while the United States’ WPS Strategy—also released by the first Trump administration, in 2019—acknowledges that this inclusion is not a political human rights or social justice agenda, but a framework that advances US competitive advantage, allowing it to achieve national security objectives through harnessing women’s distinctive aptitudes, diversity of thought, and unique access to areas where women have specific roles in certain societies. The inclusion of a women’s perspectives promotes a whole-of-society approach in achieving our strategic goals. WPS harnesses tools of national power to deter adversarial countries from a path toward conflict. This enhancement of the US national security talent pool is one of the important principal effects of a WPS framework.

A second important effect is WPS’s enhancement of our understanding of other societies. To continue enjoying its supremacy as global leader and partner of choice, employing WPS as an instrument of national power during by, with, and through military engagements, for example, gives the United States an edge against competitors such as China and Russia in an era of renewed strategic competition. Outcomes include building greater trust and expanding the defense networks in regions of concern. Countries around the world are increasingly recruiting more women in the defense sector as part of workforce development to expand the talent pool and acquire diverse skill sets enabling them to both adapt to the changing character of modern warfare and address recruitment shortfalls. Assuming that diversity and meritocracy are mutually exclusive leaves women behind in the US military and will ultimately hurt the advantage the United States currently has against its adversaries. Restrictions on women’s advancement in the defense sector will discourage the most talented women from joining the military. This will undermine recruitment efforts and our readiness as a nation. Imagine if the United States goes to war with China over Taiwan sometime in the not-too-distant future. Will we be ready if we don’t adapt our force to choose the best people to confront the complex security challenges that are ahead?

What is WPS?

Building a better understanding of society through the engagement of all people, including women, helps US decision-makers and military leaders understand the environment in which they operate. WPS seeks to do this. WPS is an outcomes-based operational program that asks policymakers to approach national security issues by building a framework that considers all perspectives in a whole-of-society approach. This is integral for understanding security environments, given that norms surrounding the role of women differ in societies around the world. Critics of the DEI initiatives should not mistake WPS as the same just because WPS references women. DEI is a human resources program focused on amplifying the benefits of demographic diversity to promote organizational competencies through equitable policies. WPS, by contrast, is a framework that facilitates and understanding of the nuanced roles that women play in different sectors of society. It is a framework that helps US security professionals communicate and cooperate through a multifaceted approach. Understanding all the facets of a society—whether ally, partner, competitor, or adversary—is a hallmark of an effective national strategy. For example, Somali women may play an important role in community development, peacebuilding, and finance. Without direct participation of influential Somali women in conflict management, achieving sustainable peace in this region may be impossible. Considering the decades of US involvement in Somalia’s internecine conflicts, the stakes are real. Thus, WPS does not dilute standards; rather, it enhances our understanding of the human dimension of the global operational environment and increases our pool of human resources to help solve complex problems.

National Security Implications

The inclusion of women in national security discussions at all levels provides a diversity of perspective that improves decision-making, community engagement, and long-term peacebuilding. Research shows that women-inclusive approaches lead to more effective conflict prevention and resolution. When women are included in peace processes, for example, from top-tier negotiating roles to the grassroots level, enduring peace agreements are more likely. This is because women consider aspects of society where men are not present. These sectors are often the source of the grievances that started the conflict in the first place. Women’s participation in peace processes is so integral that their involvement alone increases the likelihood of a sustained peace agreement past the fifteen-year mark by 35 percent. An example of women’s success as peace negotiators can be seen in the Philippines, where forty years of conflict could not be quelled until a landmark peace agreement in 2014 brought an end to fighting the government and a major rebel group. This chief peace negotiator was Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, who also brought a team of female delegates to serve as advisors that were able to forge trust and communication between the government and rebels in a way that wasn’t achieved before.

Similarly, there are many examples of militaries effectively integrating women to provide enhanced operational effectiveness, greater adaptability, and improved decision-making—all attributes of a merit-based system. As a former Marine and warfighter, my own experiences in combat operations in Iraq and working with Middle Eastern partners in operations and exercises highlighted how women can foster cooperation and cohesion through approaching warfighting from a difference perspective. This increased collaborative approach allowed me to help shape the security environment to enhance the lethality of operations, boosting trust and sharing with partners and enabling us to work in partnership to enhance security outcomes. We aren’t alone in this approach: international militaries such as the Israel Defense Forces and Norway’s military forces are outpacing us in their use of women to enhance the lethality and readiness of their forces.

Alignment with US Interests

WPS supports the United States’ enduring interests, as well as the policy priorities of the current administration. WPS acknowledges the unique roles that women play in global societies and can empower American women to be liaisons to these communities across the globe. By bolstering these partnerships, women can strengthen economies and contribute to improved security outcomes in fragile and failed states. This will ultimately open opportunities to engage local populations in conflicts zones, where women are disproportionately the victims but disproportionately underrepresented in issues of security. Countless examples exist in conflict hotspots from Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria to Gaza, Ukraine, and Yemen, where bringing women liaisons to the forefront of security decision-making would strengthen US foreign policy objectives of stabilizing conflict zones. As seen with women’s inclusion in the form of US military female engagement teams, women’s ability to work in these fragile environments can improve intelligence collection, forge relationships of trust, and enhance regional stability. In my own experience working as a foreign area officer in the Middle East, cooperation with partner nations deepened because of engendered trust between my partners and me because I could go to break bread at their homes and engage in discussions with their wives and family in a way that would have been taboo for a male colleague to do.

Current Gaps and a Way Forward

WPS increases the potential for effective US policy implementation. The lack of women’s involvement in fragile environments such as Gaza, Syria, and Yemen has likely resulted in prolonging conflicts that have devastating effects on regional stability. Adapting and implementing WPS across the whole of US national security efforts can have a marked impact on how America pursues its foreign policy objectives. The Trump administration can be a role model for promoting global security by recognizing women’s unique roles in societies as important arbiters of conflict resolution efforts and empowering women to strengthen foreign partnerships, reducing overreliance on the military to solve all foreign policy objectives. For WPS to truly be effective, it needs to be operationalized across the entirety of the government apparatus and used as a framework for how America implements its foreign policy. This approach, if executed fully, would provide the essential competitive advantage that America needs to achieve its strategic competition goals in today’s complex global security environment. WPS offers a framework to place the most essential individuals in the right places, based on their abilities, and to solve America’s greatest challenges. This is the essence of a meritocracy.

Jane Stokes is an associate professor at the Naval War College and the author of Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq. A retired Marine Corps officer, Jane holds an MA from the US Naval War College, has appeared on numerous national media outlets, and teaches and lectures about WPS issues, military operations, and the Middle East.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.

Image credit: Sgt. Angela Wilcox, US Marine Corps